YEE HAH!

So Barack and Hillary finally decided to join forces tonight and get on the same page of this campaign. I loved tonight's debate. I like Barack better and like Hillary even better. Sounds to me like they have both finally decided to have a coalition. Maybe there will be a Clinton/Obama ticket afterall. I think she would be president and he vice. The two of them together without the animosity could turn this country back assward. YEE HAH!

SOGGY SUNDAY

Today is gloomy and cool. We had more rain last night which is much needed. I am home from early Episcopal Mass and monthly potluck brunch and fellowship following. Had a nice telephone conversation with my newly married friend, Margaret, in Indiana after I got home. I've been checking my email, nothing of which was personal, and the family blogs. I'm in my comfortable Sunday afternoon lounging clothes and have the Sunday morning news shows playing which I record to watch at my leisure and without commercials. Today is all political stuff about Obama's big win in SC--like we didn't expect that--and how bad Bill and Hill are dissing him. You would think there had never been an election with mud slinging before according to the media. Their memories are so short. Just think, only 10 more months of it. I think I will be doing a lot of reading what with the politics and the writer's strike. I'm thinking about having my cable cut off. Seems like a big waste of money.

Wish I could think of something really funny to dazzle you readers but just can't think of anything at the moment. Maybe I will get out of my serious mood soon. I need some good comic relief in my life right now. The funniest thing that I have heard lately is that my daughter Amanda is listed as a male by the Social Security Administration and she has to prove to them that she is not in order to get her gender corrected on her paper work. I wonder how she will do that? As one of my friends pointed out, her name is A man da!

FAVORITE NEW TREAT FOR 2008

Sometime during the holidays I was trying to find something to satisfy my sweet tooth and as often is the case my cupboard was pretty bare. I did have a supply of croissants which I keep on hand in the freezer because they are easily available and cheap at Sams. I remembered having a delicious croissant with chocolate inside it once, probably in Chicago. The combinaton seems so very French. Anyway, I had a tub of Duncan Hines chocolate frosting on hand and so I split a croissant, toasted it in the toaster oven and slathered it with frosting on the inside and put the two sides back together making a delicious desert sandwich. It is good enough to serve to guests and the easiest thing that I can think of to fix. Mmmm! Try it.

SUCH IS LIFE

My holidays are officially over now and I'm trying to get everything organized and put away. It is an awfully lot more fun getting out the decorations and doing the planning than trying to put it all away for another year.

We have been having a brief spell of Florida winter which I love and I have been enjoying kicking back and reading and resting. I do miss northern winters but I also realize that the cold plays with my bones and joints these days.

I wrote a nice blog yesterday and at the time of posting I got kicked off the internet and lost my entry. I'm about ready to can my internet and phone service--Verizon, in case you guessed. I have been getting kicked off on a pretty regular basis lately and have had such bad static on my phone line the past few months that I can hardly carry on a conversation. Verizon has been here 2 or 3 times and they can't get it right. I dread having to deal with them again. Such is life.

HILLARY

You go girl!

STILL LIT UP

I got a pass on having to take down the Christmas decorations for another week. I'm so happy. My guests who were to come last Saturday night had to postpone for a week because of illness and I am dedicated to keeping up the holiday glitz until my entertaining is finished. I did, however, take down some of the outdoor lights today. The weather was wonderful today and it was nice to spend a little time outside in comfort.

OFF SCHEDULE

This is a weird day following a weird night. I was up and down a lot in the night and finally got up at some unGodly hour and stayed up. I had a doctors appointment at 8:45 a.m. and came home so tired about 11:30 that I slept most of the afternoon. That has thrown meals and the rest of the day off any kind of reasonable schedule. I have watched some of my Friday night PBS news shows, read some, snacked some and in general felt restless and a little lonesome. I have taken my proper drugs and hope that I can settle down to finish off the evening with a movie which will probably put me to sleep. Tomorrow is another day with things to do because I am entertaining in the evening--the last of my holiday soirees. Next week I will start taking down Xmas decorations and putting them away and will pull out the Valentine's Day things that I decorate with. Maybe my surroundings won't be too blah too quickly. I love the lights and the colorfulness of the seasons.

BRRRRR!

It is cold by Florida standards with a freeze warning last night. That means that you cover delicate plants and the strawberry growers go into overnight mode staying out in the fields in case they need to start the sprinklers to prevent the plants from freezing. Last night was the true test of their equipment and expertise. The thing that amuses me about this weather is that people here talk about how hot it is and conjecture about when we will get winter weather and then as soon as the temperature drops 10 degrees everybody jacks up their furnaces to where you can hardly breathe indoors. I must confess that it got so cold in my house--59 degrees--that I had to put my thermostat on 63 degrees. At that temperature I can wear warm clothes and fuzzy socks and feel like we are really having winter. The cats snuggle with me and a cup of hot chocolate or tea will warm me up considerably. I wish it would stay this way for awhile but by the end of the week it will no doubt be close to 80 again. I have always loved winter but I must admit that single digit temperatures would probably be hard on me these days especially with my arthritic bones.

Tonight a friend of mine is cooking for me--how good can it get--and we are going to be watching the Iowa caucus news of interest on television. I think that this is "the year" to be interested in politics if one is ever to have an interest. It seems that as Americans we all have so much more at stake than I can ever remember in my lifetime. There again, maybe my age is playing tricks on me or maybe it is the level of boredom to which one can sink when living alone. At any rate we will have a fun evening and no doubt laugh a lot which is so great for my well being. I hope that my gentle readers will have some laughs too wherever and whoever you are. Peace and warmth be to all.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Here in the mobile home park where I live--I still think of it as a trailer park because it isn't a very swanky place and I jokingly refer to myself to my good friends as "trailer trash" which somewhat takes them aback--not much noise is ever made except on New Year's Eve. But on New Year's Eve at midnight a big group of the residents walk through the park banging pots and pans and making lots of noise. It is quite amusing to me and I guess it is fun for them. I don't participate myself, being one of the younger residents, but perhaps if I stay around long enough I will someday find it fun. I can't imagine that right now but as I am getting older I find myself doing lots of things that I never imagined, so maybe joining the pot and pan brigade is in my future.

I spent the evening at the movies with a friend watching a film that I would just as soon have skipped since I am not a big fan of adventure movies. Even though one of my favorite heart throbs starred in the movie I still almost fell asleep. I guess I wasn't the only less than enthusiastic viewer since someone behind us had started snoring almost as soon as the movie began. I found myself rather envious of the person and his freedom to sleep wherever he chose. I came home and turned on PBS and made a cheesecake to serve to guests who will be here for my sometimes traditional New Year's Day dinner. I was hoping for some good music but alas it was a rock and roll concert and I realized once again that I really don't like a lot of rock and roll and truthfully never did.

So, tonight I am thankful that I have had a pretty good year all things considered. I am thankful for good music which I have been playing on my faithful Bose as I write. As soon as the timer dings for the cheesecake I will turn off the oven and engage in peaceful sleep. Thank God I have at last begun to experience peaceful, restful sleep again.

Happy New Year to all of you and I wish for you a new year full of all of the things you love most, health and God's blessings.